(Yicai Global) Nov. 23 -- China's agriculture ministry today reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N6 avian flu virus in Yangzhou, a city in eastern Jiangsu province, following several other cases in recent months.

The National Bird Flu Reference Laboratory confirmed that the virus was found at a poultry farm in Yangzhou with 11,810 birds, the ministry said after receiving reports from the China Animal Disease Control Center yesterday. Some 1,200 birds were infected and 320 died from the infection.

The local authorities have culled more than 31,000 birds and taken immediate action to prevent the virus from spreading, including prevention and control measures.

Outbreaks were also confirmed in Luquan County and Tengchong in Yunnan province on Nov. 20. Some 10,280 poultry were destroyed there, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said the next day.

Fenghuang County in Hunan province reported a case on Sept. 26. Some 385 birds died as a result of contracting the strain and 1,029 were culled, the ministry said on Oct. 10.